UAlbany football facility could lead to bigger things

With the UAlbany football team getting a new facility, perhaps as soon as next season, could a move to full-scholarship status be far behind?

That was a logical question on Wednesday, when UAlbany announced it is building a 6,000-seat venue for football and soccer that might be ready for next season’s home finale.

The Great Danes gave out the equivalent of 36 football scholarships last season, the maximum allowed by the Northeast Conference, but well below the 63 full rides permitted by the NCAA in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

The Great Danes have belonged to the NEC in football since 1999. They play in the America East in other sports.

UAlbany football coach Bob Ford said he could foresee the Great Danes moving into a full-scholarship FCS league such as the Colonial Athletic Association, or even the America East, should that conference decide to sponsor football.

“Yeah, possibly,” he said. “I think the America East, there’s been talk about that conference adding football. I’m not sure if it’ll happen or when it’ll happen. But I think that’s where this institution belongs, with the (full-scholarship) Delawares and the UMasses, and the New Hampshires and the Maines. That’s where we belong.”

The NEC will go to a limit of 38 football scholarships next season and then to a cap of 40 in 2013. The NEC permits member schools to give aid beyond that limit, but only if it’s non-athletic financial aid.

“The world is changing everyday and we’ve just got to continue to look at our options and survey the landscape very closely,” McElroy said.

McElroy did say that the new facility will allow UAlbany to attract better recruits and play at home against top FCS opponents.

“When you have a new facility, you recruit better, you’re able to recruit a more attractive opponent,” McElroy said. “For example, there are schools like Delaware, William & Mary who would not play us in our former stadium (University Field). Now, under the new venue, they would be interested in coming here and playing a home-and-home. We could not get home-and-home series with the top FCS programs in the country.”